Jesus's birth 1A AO2

Question 1

Argument-Myth

Answer 1

-criticism of being influenced by ancient myths
-All birth narratives show the ancient tendency to construct miraculous birth
-Herculus has a divine father & Zeus is born from a human mother
-Angels & appearance of star

Question 2

Counter-Virgin birth

Answer 2

-two independent account of virgin birth
-Obvious link between holy spirit and virgin birth in both L&M
-Virgin birth & holy spirit indicate jesus is fully human and God
-M: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son named Immanuel’
-Immanuel portrays jesus as son of God

Question 3

Evaluation-Mythological nature

Answer 3

-Narratives are mythological nature
-Points out what the author think the identity of Jesus is therefore it isnt historically reliable

Question 4

Argument-hypostatic union & incarnation

Answer 4

-Disagreement on birth narrative indicating specialness of Jesus
-Hypostatic union & incarnation hasnt clearly been expressed
-Jesus’s full awarenessof divine nature gradually unfolded in life rather than being present at birth
-Neither account refer to Jesus as God’s incarnate

Question 5

Counter-Virgin birth & incarnation

Answer 5

-Virgin birth indicates incarnation
-Illustrates Jesus’s different nature from rest of humanity
-VB emphasises his worldliness
-Isnt a ordinary human, miraculous VB, angels involved

Question 6

Evaluation-Incarnation

Answer 6

-Neither M or L refer to Jesus as God incarnate or God in human form
-L referring to jesus as ‘son of god’ doesn’t necessarily imply divinity
-The ‘supernatural elements’ that imply divinity in both narratives could coinsidential